UC Snippet #14

TFLYTSNBN wrote:Silly Australian. That is why you have MDMs that activate a drive with terminal guidance after the ballistic phase.

The tactic might work if the duration of the ballistic phase is great enough.

David has used lots of phrases to describe MDM on-board guidance, but not phrases like "highly capable". More like "myopic".

Basically it's up to the ship that launches it to guide the missile to the target. The missile is basically supposed to get directions that puts the missile some low number of light seconds from the target before the terminal sensors can acquire the target. And I suspect that to be less than 20 light seconds.

Now, you might ask, how is moving during ballistic coast different than just moving during the point where the control loop doesn't work any longer and the answer is "ask David Weber".

kzt wrote:

TFLYTSNBN wrote:Silly Australian. That is why you have MDMs that activate a drive with terminal guidance after the ballistic phase.

The tactic might work if the duration of the ballistic phase is great enough.

David has used lots of phrases to describe MDM on-board guidance, but not phrases like "highly capable". More like "myopic".

Basically it's up to the ship that launches it to guide the missile to the target. The missile is basically supposed to get directions that puts the missile some low number of light seconds from the target before the terminal sensors can acquire the target. And I suspect that to be less than 20 light seconds.

Now, you might ask, how is moving during ballistic coast different than just moving during the point where the control loop doesn't work any longer and the answer is "ask David Weber".

Might want to take a look at my comments on the Mark 23-E and the entire concept of the dispersed sensor array created by constellations of highly capable MDMs. Indeed, a new tactic being worked on by the GA takes advantage of the ballistic phase built into really long range launch profiles to allow the missles’ onboard sensors and the control software of the Echo to further enhance data flow and accuracy. The myopia of traditional missles is a factor of (1) their highly restricted fields of view when under acceleration due to their own wedges (and pre-MDM missiles were under power for their entire run) and (2) design considerations intended to make them as cheap as possible so that they could be carried in maximum numbers. Factor (2) was the real reason no one was trying to build individually highly capable missiless when the ship-to-missile data sharing system worked quite well at then-possible ranges. (I think I’ve explained this a time or three.)That entire model has been in the process of evolution since book one and the onboard software/sensor/datalink package has been significantly advanced in stages. Which have been remarked upon in the books as they occurred.

Looks like Yountz has done the Maths, read the writing on the wall and grown a backbone. The Manty missiles arrive in three minutes the Sollies launch in four - He expects to be in command of the the Task Force before launch time.

However I'm not clear whether the orders he has just issued have been given to the whole task force or just his squadron of cruisers and destroyers. He may have to do some quick talking to stop the remaining Battlecruisers from launching on the platforms

Randomiser wrote:Looks like Yountz has done the Maths, read the writing on the wall and grown a backbone. The Manty missiles arrive in three minutes the Sollies launch in four - He expects to be in command of the the Task Force before launch time.

However I'm not clear whether the orders he has just issued have been given to the whole task force or just his squadron of cruisers and destroyers. He may have to do some quick talking to stop the remaining Battlecruisers from launching on the platforms

Just his squadron; he's got no authority to give orders to others.

“Squadron orders,” Yountz heard himself snap. “Do not launch on the platforms!” He whirled to the chief of staff. “D’you understand me, Justin? Get that out now. Do not launch!”
“But, Sir —!” Rochetti began, and Yountz’s glare snapped back around to him.
“Goddamn it, do it, Captain! Nobody in this squadron is going to touch that frigging launch button!”

Now he just needs to be ready to get those same orders over to those other ships that are about to become 'his.' Before they do something...unfortunate and irrevocable, by preference for all involved.

I suppose there had to be at least one Solly flag officer capable of listening to reason when it comes from a, ahem, 'neobarb.'"

runsforcelery wrote: With only twelve launchers and only twenty rounds per tube, she had a total of just two hundred and forty missiles, and a quarter of them were EW birds, primarily Dazzlers and Dragon’s Teeth.

(emphasis added)

Now this is what caught my attention. Could we be looking at a new monstrosity waiting to be unleashed on some poor bast--uh, deserving soul?

Daryl wrote:I'm too lazy to do the maths, but when missiles are sent from a very long range with a ballistic component, wouldn't the targets benefit from changing course at maximum acceleration? I realise that they will still be attacked, but it may complicate the final aiming.

In ten minutes, if the targets can accelerate at 500g (abandoning the cripples) they could move about one million km. The missiles are more than 20M away the second drive starts, meaning the angle off the original course is less than 3 degrees. I'd imagine that's within the missiles' reach.

The critical element isn’t how far the target can move during coast, it’s whether the missile has them inside its FOV at target acquisition. If you are far enough from the launching ship the ship stops being able to send you useful updates before the missile seekers have acquired the target. That is the interval in which sudden movement might prevent missiles from effectively attacking.

Coast phases mean the missile is moving farther away from the launcher and allows more time for target to react. But if they are still close enough that the launching ship can send usable predictions as to where to find the target it doesn’t help much to move.

Basically the target moves. Some time later the launcher detects this and sends an update to the missile. If the missile will have already at attacked before that message arrives at the missiles then the launching ship no longer controls the missiles. The critical interval is the point where that occurs and the point where the missile sensors can be expected to reliably detect the target. The longer that interval is the easier it is to dodge long range missiles.